


Apprentice Laila's Route

by LadyLamplight



Series: The Arcana - Apprentice Route - Laila [1]
Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Asra (The Arcana) Route Spoilers, F/F, F/M, Female Apprentice (The Arcana), Julian Devorak's Route Spoilers, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:21:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26641378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyLamplight/pseuds/LadyLamplight
Summary: The story of Laila, the altruistic apprentice who is determined to achieve her dreams. Read Laila's story and learn about her, her relationships and how she came to be the person she is in the world of The Arcana.
Relationships: Apprentice/Asra (The Arcana)/Original Female Character(s), Apprentice/Asra/Julian Devorak, Apprentice/Julian Devorak/Original Female Character(s), Asra (The Arcana) & Original Female Character(s), Asra/Julian Devorak, Asra/Julian Devorak/Original Female Character(s), Julian Devorak/Original Female Character(s), Lucio (The Arcana)/Original Female Character(s)
Series: The Arcana - Apprentice Route - Laila [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1938199





	Apprentice Laila's Route

**Author's Note:**

> This is a work in progress. I am slowly writing one-shots (different parts) to form the back story of my Apprentice, Laila, whom I created for The Arcana. Whatever backstory part comes to mind, I will write and add here. No chronological order yet, but you can assume the timeline of the story from The Arcana game runs parallel to the timeline for Laila. I may change this later on as I progress further with her tale. Chapters are not necessarily in the correct order. Once the entire route is completed, I will reorder the chapters accordingly.
> 
> Please note: not everything in this story is cannon. I tried my best to stick with most of the cannon stuff but I've also done my own take on the story.
> 
> WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS FOR ASRA AND JULIAN ROUTES!!! POTENTIAL SPOILERS FOR OTHER CHARACTERS IN THE ARCANA. DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT FINISHED THEIR ROUTES. PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK.

** APPRENTICE LAILA’S ROUTE **

**THE HEART**

“Get out, Ilya!”

“I just need to see her please. I know I’ve done wrong by her, so I want to explain.”

“You’ve hurt her enough. Leave.”

“Asra please!” Julian begged, tears welling up in his eyes.

“She’s not here. Even if she were, I wouldn’t let you see her.”

Julian hung his head, accepting defeat and opened the front door of the shop to leave.

“And Ilya?”

Julian turned back to face Asra, holding the door, hopeful, and standing on the threshold.

“Perhaps it’s best that you let her go. I can’t see her so broken again.”

Julian’s heart fell and he nodded, tears slowly streaming down his chiseled face as he left through the shop’s door with a flourish of his coat and out into the cool night.

Laila saw a dark shadow in the dimly lit evening exit the shop and turn the corner of the street. She wanted to call out and follow but thought it best not to. _Perhaps it was one of Asra’s customers…though that large black coat did look familiar…_

Laila entered the shop and put down her collection of ingredients and trinkets she had picked up along the way from the palace. Asra had requested a few things for his trip, so she grabbed those from her pile and headed upstairs, dropping her cloak along the way.

She found Asra seated at the small kitchen table, holding a mug of tea with one hand, and covering his face with the other. Something was wrong.

“Asra?” Laila placed his things in her bag on the counter and walked over to him. She put a comforting hand on his shoulder, and he looked up at her. He took her hand and asked her to sit down.

“What’s wrong?” Laila questioned, looking puzzled, and taking a seat at the table.

“Nothing. I’m just worried about you.” He cupped her face in his hands and gazed into her big, beautiful golden-honey eyes.

“Oh, silly, why are you so worried?” Laila wondered, smiling at him.

“You were so broken from last night.”

Her smile disappeared, replaced by pursed lips.

“Oh. Well…I am okay now. I think.”

Laila thought back to the night before. She had spent the entirety of yesterday with Julian and then had had dinner with him at the Rowdy Raven, before he chose to take her to the docks and break up with her at the end of the night. She had come home in tears and it was Asra who had seen her in that state and comforted her.

“I told him off for you,” Asra stated, letting her face go and holding her hands.

“What?”

“Julian. He came by. I told him to leave.”

 _So, it WAS him!_ Laila bolted out of her seat. “What?! Julian was here? Why? Where did he go?”

“Laila, please. Calm down. He came by to explain. I didn’t want you hurt again, so I asked him to leave.”

“Asra! You know how he is! He’ll go do something irrational!” Laila turned to leave but Asra grabbed her wrist.

“Let him be. I don’t want him breaking you like he did.” Asra pulled her back toward the table, closer to him, still holding her wrist, but more gently now.

“I am fine. I need to see him. I have to make sure he is okay,” Laila urged on.

“He’ll be fine.”

“Asra please.”

“Why do you care so much about him? He is not who he says he is, Laila. You need to be careful.”

“Asra…I’ve come to know him. He is a good man. And he is innocent! He will go and do something stupid and get himself into more trouble than he already is because of all this. I saw him leave the shop this evening in such a flurry. What happened between you two?”

“Nothing. He came to see you, I told him off. Asked him to leave because he had caused you such pain and I didn’t want him to distress you more.” Asra finally stood up and held Laila close.

She back away, pushing herself off from his chest. “You what?! Asra! Now I know he is going to do something overly dramatic and likely injure himself. You know how he is!”

“It doesn’t matter! Ilya does this all the time. Forget him!”

“No! I have to see him!”

Laila rushed down the stairs to grab her cloak and was about to head out the door when Asra called out asking her to wait. She stopped.

He came down the stairs, looking both forlorn and frustrated at the same time.

“What is it?” Laila asked, holding onto the doorknob.

“Why do you care so much for Julian?”

“For the same reasons you once did.”

Asra’s face fell.

“I saw the memory, Asra. At the palace library while I was investigating. It came to me. A portal of some sort. I know what happened between you two.”

Asra’s cheeks turned red. He knew exactly what Laila was talking about but did not want to press the subject.

“I know you loved him. I know things became physical between you two.”

“Laila, I –” Asra stammered.

Laila raised her hand to stop him. “You don’t need to explain. It is in the past. I just don’t understand what happened to cause such a fallout between you two and the way you are towards him now.”

Asra sighed. This was the opportune moment for him to explain things in hopes of convincing Laila that Julian was not the right person for her and that she should be careful. It was also the perfect time for him to voice how he felt. How he had felt about her for so long.

“Wait. Look, Laila, you are right. I did once love Ilya. Things did get physical between us. Initially it was a business transaction to help in coming up with the cure for the Red Plague but as we worked together, it became something more. Then I realized that Ilya was too much for me. He was needy, always wanting to please, wanting to take on my pain but secretly lamenting it. He wanted more and more, and I just could not give it to him. I had to drop him.”

“Asra…could you not have let him off easy? You know how he is.”

“I know! I tried but he was clingy, and I could not take it anymore. Besides, there was something else…someone else…”

Laila looked confused. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that I fell for someone else and I knew then I couldn’t give Ilya what he was looking for. I’m not sure if anyone can to be honest,” Asra explained. He leaned against the counter of the shop and ran his fingers through his soft white curls.

“Who was it?” Laila let go of the doorknob and dropped her cloak. She walked back to Asra and stood across from him, arms crossed over her chest, looking inquisitive.

“Hmm?”

“Who did you fall for?” She repeated.

“You.”

Laila gasped and covered her mouth with her hand.

“I fell for you. You don’t remember because of everything that’s happened…and I don’t want you to recall things because I know you get headaches when the memories return…so I won’t.”

“No. I want to know. Tell me.”

“Laila, please. You have been hurt so much, and I do not want to wound you further. It is why I told Ilya off. He’s been the cause of so much pain for you and for me and I can’t take it anymore.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Please…don’t make me…” Asra begged. She could see tears welling up in his gorgeous violet eyes.

“Tell me everything Asra, or I swear I will walk out that door and never return,” Laila threatened.

“Laila…”

“Tell me now,” she demanded.

“Fine. You have no memories of this…but…Julian had a clinic here in Vesuvia. He was called upon by the Countess Nadia to aid in finding a cure for the Red Plague. I too was called to help him considering I knew magic and the Countess suspected supernatural forces acting with the Red Plague. Julian and I worked together at the palace, researching, experimenting, and then we became close. Things got out of hand.

“One evening I returned to the clinic with Julian for reasons I will keep to myself. There I saw you…again. A vision of pure beauty just as before. You were working a late night at the clinic and had stayed behind to help Julian with his research.”

“Wait. What?! _Again?! Before?!_ I was at the clinic?! I knew Julian before…before just a few nights ago?” Laila exclaimed in shock. She stepped back, placing a hand over her chest, her breathing becoming rapid.

“Are you okay?! See? This is why I didn’t want to tell you!” Asra raced to her and took her hand.

“I’m fine. Continue.” Laila released her hand from his and kept backing away until she bumped into the red velvet chaise. She stood for a moment while Asra continued his story.

“Yes, I saw you again. I have known you from before and you have known me. For nine years…I have loved you. I was never able to tell you, despite my urgency to. We had split a while back because of our differences…and yes, you knew Julian before this week. You apprenticed at his clinic because you were interested in becoming a doctor and wanted to help people. I had decided to head to Nopal instead of stay.

“He took you on as an apprentice to help him with his research for all things medicine. When the Red Plague hit, he became obsessed with trying to figure out a cure. He did anything and everything. His life was consumed by it. He was blind to everything, including the fact that you were infected by the Red Plague!” Asra paused, trying to hold back tears as the bad memories returned to haunt him.

Laila gasped again. She felt sick. She slumped down into the chaise and held her head with both hands. Asra sat down next to her, taking her hands and interlacing his fingers with hers. Then he continued.

“You got infected and died, Laila. I lost you…after getting you back again.”

Laila’s head jerked up and she looked at Asra in utter shock. “What? How? This doesn’t make any sense!” she cried.

“Ssshh…I’ll explain.” Asra wrapped his arm around her, enclosing her in an embrace. This time Laila did not fight him, but instead she leaned her head against his shoulder and grabbed his shirt. She sobbed as Asra kept going with the story.

“As I was saying, the Red Plague got you…and Julian did not notice until it was too late. He was broken over losing you as his apprentice, but he had been so consumed by his research he was too late. You were gone. I was even more broken than him, shattered. I had fallen for you and had planned to tell you, but I too was too late. I suffered so much knowing you were gone. I became desperate.

“Your body was taken to the Lazaret. Julian eventually gave up on everything and disappeared after being caught in Count Lucio’s room the night of the Masquerade three years ago. He escaped and I have no idea what happened to him during that time and never saw him until now.

“I went after you. I was selfish. I could not bear to lose you. I went to the Lazaret to look for your body. Sadly, it had been cremated and I was at a loss, but I knew there were ways to bring you back, so that is what I had planned to do.”

Asra paused again to collect his thoughts. He wrapped his arm around Laila even tighter. She did not flinch. She continued to breathe rapidly, gripping his shirt with her hand, and sobbing quietly.

“Laila, I wanted you and needed you. I needed to tell you how I truly felt all those years since we met. I made a deal with my patron Arcana…The Magician. They had taught me a great many things so I knew they could help. They were able to aid me in retrieving a body for you – the same one Lucio was asking for – but only if I sabotaged the ritual for Lucio.

“I wanted to do anything to get you back because I was desperate, so I agreed to sabotage the ritual that would help Lucio get himself a body and come back to life. I did not care. Nobody would miss him, and I wanted a body for you to bring you back.

“I also made sure Julian was at the right place at the right time for when it became known that Lucio was dead. I made sure Muriel found Julian and took him to Lucio’s room that night. I wanted you back. So much so that I did anything and everything, removing anyone in my path.

“I made a deal with The Magician. The deal involved sabotaging the ritual for Lucio and giving up half my heart to bring you back. That same half now beats inside your chest.”

Laila finally stopped crying and let go of Asra. She slid away from him and looked at him, gazing into his eyes. They were filled with tears.

“Asra…how could you?” Laila whispered. She placed a hand on her heart…Asra’s heart. She realized now why they always felt so close and connected to each other. Why he always knew where she was and how to find her, especially when she needed him the most in the most desperate and dangerous times.

The tears streamed from Asra’s eyes, down his face like little rivers. He hung his head low and covered his face with his hands, sobbing silently.

“I know you did all of this because you love me…but…why blame Julian?” She carefully moved closer to him on the chaise and took both his hands from his face and held them.

“Because he hurt you! For what he did to you! I lost you again because of him!” Asra cried out.

Laila shushed him and wiped his tears. She hesitantly wrapped her arm around his waist and embraced him, trying to comfort him. She noticed the mark on his chest, glowing under his white shirt. She placed her hand on it and rested it there. Asra held her hand against his chest as he calmed down.

Laila had learned so much in such little time. She could not remember any of this, and whenever Asra had tried to help her recall her memories over these past three years, she had gotten severe headaches. This time, however, she felt fine. She had learned everything she was missing, but still there was more. _What about Julian? Did he remember or know any of this? She had to find out._

“Are you okay?” Laila whispered, running her fingers through Asra’s hair to comfort him.

Asra remained silent with his eyes closed and leaned against Laila’s chest. She let him rest there for a moment longer.

“Asra?” She tilted his chin up to look at him and he finally opened his eyes.

“I’m sorry. I love you. I did everything so I could tell you I love you and be with you,” Asra confessed, tears welling up in his bloodshot eyes again and running down his face.

“Oh, Asra, I know! I know…I understand…but…it wasn’t right… what happened to Julian…”

“Julian?! Why him? After all I’ve done…why him?” Asra pushed away from Laila and stood up. He walked back to the counter and leaned on it, looking down at his inventory of trinkets, his hands imprinting the clear glass.

“Asra…I do love you,” Laila whispered, also standing up and following him. She went up to him and embraced him from behind. Asra sighed and leaned into her touch, letting him hold her.

“I love you too, but not in the manner you feel. I’m sorry,” Laila spoke into his shirt in a quiet voice.

Asra’s eyes opened wide and he turned around swiftly. He grabbed both of Laila’s arms and asked, “What?”

“Asra…I’ve always loved you…but as my best friend, my brother, my twin. You have done so much for me. You are my other half, my family. I would not have survived without you and for that I am forever grateful and blessed.”

Asra could feel his heart, the half he had left, falling, and shattering to pieces. Again. _All this time, for so many years, he had loved Laila as more, but she had only seen him as a brother. Surely there was something more before…_

“A brother? Is that truly how you feel? All you feel? Has there never been anything more?” Asra asked, desperation in his voice, as he held Laila gently, pulling her close.

“I am sorry…I don’t remember,” she whispered. She hung her head low and leaned into him, her hands against his stiff chest, stabilizing herself.

“Of course. I understand.” Asra embraced her and the two stood together for a moment, sharing each other’s warmth and comfort.

After a tender moment, Laila let go of Asra. She cupped his face with her hand and gave him a peck on the cheek. She backed away and rushed to grab her cloak.

“Wait. Where are you going?” Asra questioned, heading towards her as she reached for the doorknob.

“I have to go find him. Julian. He’s still out there…hurt.”

Asra groaned, grabbing his hair with both hands. “Why? After all I’ve told you…after all you know and what he’s done.”

“It’s in the past Asra. I do not remember. I need to talk to Julian. I must know from him what happened too. It’s only fair.” Laila turned the doorknob and opened the door to step out.

“Do you not believe me?”

“I do.”

“Then why go after him?”

“Because I need to.”

“I gave you my heart, Laila. We have a connection. Half of my heart resides and beats in your chest. Do not go. Please. I love you.” Asra moved closer to the door and reached for Laila’s hand, trying to stop her.

“I have to go. I do understand that you gave me half your heart and it now beats in my chest, that we share a connection. That connection will always be there…and I do love you…but not the way you want me to. I really am sorry. I cannot give you what you are looking for.” Laila stepped onto the threshold, avoiding Asra’s reach.

“How can you say that?”

“It’s the truth, Asra. I am terribly sorry. You are my best friend. I love you as such and I always will. I am incredibly grateful to you for doing what you’ve done and for giving me everything you have.”

“Laila…”

“I have to go.” She stepped out of the shop, leaving Asra at the threshold of the entrance.

“How can you possibly love him?!” Asra called out as Laila began to walk away.

She stopped, but didn’t turn back, and answered “With the same half of your heart you once did. You gave me the half that loved and still loves Julian.”


End file.
